William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Natural Sciences

Courses

Course List:

Courses offered in the past four years. ▲indicates offered in the current term▹indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]

PHYS0111 - Thermo, Fluids, Waves & Optics

Thermodynamics, Fluids, Wave Motion, and Optics
This lecture and laboratory course covers concepts from classical physics that are not included in PHYS 0109 and PHYS 0110, and that serve as a bridge between those two courses. Topics include thermal properties of matter, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, wave motion, sound, and geometrical and physical optics. This course is strongly recommended for all students otherwise required to take PHYS 0109 and PHYS 0110 as part of a major or a premedical program, and is required for physics majors. (PHYS 0109, MATH 0121, or equivalent) DED SCI

PHYS0220 - Introduction to Mathematica
▹

Introduction to Mathematica
Mathematica is a scientific software application that consists of a flexible high-level programming language with thousands of powerful built-in functions for symbolic, numeric, and graphical computation typical of physics and other quantitative fields. Undergraduates can use Mathematica for coursework, senior projects, and throughout their professional careers. In this course we will focus on the principles at the core of Mathematica and how these principles unify such a great range of computational capabilities. (PHYS 0109 and 0110; Recommended: MATH 0200 and a traditional “computer programming course” in high school or college) DED SCI

PHYS0321 - Experimental Physics

Experimental Techniques in Physics
This course will cover the design and execution of experiments, and the analysis and presentation of data, at an advanced level. Laboratory experiments will be chosen to illustrate the use of electronic, mechanical, and optical instruments to investigate fundamental physical phenomena, such as the properties of atoms and nuclei and the nature of radiation. Skills in computer-based data analysis and presentation will be developed and emphasized. This course satisfies the College writing requirement. (PHYS 0201 and PHYS 0202 and PHYS 0212; MATH 0200 recommended) 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. lab. (Approval required) CW

PHYS0330 - Analytical Mechanics

Analytical Mechanics
An intermediate-level course in the kinematics and dynamics of particles and rigid body motion. The topics will include: analysis and application of Newton's law of mechanics; the concepts of work, energy, and power; energy conservation; momentum and momentum conservation; torque, angular momentum, and angular momentum conservation; oscillatory motion; and central-force motion. Lagrange's and Hamilton's formulations of classical mechanics will be introduced with emphasis placed on developing problem-solving strategies and techniques. (PHYS 0109 and PHYS 0212, or by waiver; MATH 0200 recommended) 3 hrs. lect.

PHYS0350 - Statistical Mechanics

Statistical Mechanics
The course opens with a review of classical thermodynamics and continues with an examination of the fundamental concepts of probability, statistics, and distribution functions. These topics are followed by in-depth discussion of the concepts of energy, energy quantization, and the application of these concepts to the modeling of macroscopic systems. The remainder of the course is a study of statistical mechanics and its application to a variety of classical and quantum systems. Topics covered include statistical thermodynamics, Maxwellian distributions, imperfect gases, equipartition theorem, quantum statistics, heat capacities of solids, electromagnetic radiation, and ideal quantum gases. (PHYS 0202 and PHYS 0212) 3 hrs. lect.

PHYS0402 - Advanced Quantum Mechanics

Advanced Quantum Mechanics
This course will emphasize realistic atomic and nuclear structure calculations using the techniques of perturbation theory and angular momentum coupling. A major goal is complete calculations of fine structure, hyperfine structure and the Lamb shift for the hydrogen atom in the presence of perturbing fields. The electromagnetic field is quantized and used to calculate transition rates and angular distributions for simple radiating systems. Nuclear magnetic resonance and blackbody radiation will receive extended treatment. (PHYS 0401)